is the new chopper craze mostly for poseur's, not "real" riders?

Question

they keep them in the garage and polish/clean them, only to ride a few miles to park it to show it off. They aren't practical for riding longer than like 20 miles.

to clarify for "Darla", I am talking about all of the bling-bling, chromed-out, biker-build-off, heavy, cumbersome, theme-based contraptions that they show on TV all of the time.
Yes, you are right about the old-school bikers. They were/are real riders. But I'm referring to the dorks who try to gain status by owning a "custom chopper".
In other words: Jesse James is a real rider, but his customers are NOT!

Answer 1

absolutely
i am not saying that choppers can't be ridden for more than 20 miles
but a lot of the new ones are sold to people who wouldn,t

Answer 2

Depends on your definition of "real riding". A hard tail is not real condicive to long distance touring, you probably want a rear suspension for that. If you are not into touring, a chopper might be just the bike for you.

A raked front end is not particularly good for hitting the twisties, if you want to be a canyon carver, go with something that has better handling - something sportier. For around town riding, though, the chopper is just fine.

A chopper is primarily a cool bike for hitting the pub and doing a bike night or poker run, IMHO. If that is you thing, then go for it. For me, I would be scared to do any serious riding on a bike that costs 50 - 100 grand. Also, since these things are often one-off custom "engineered", they can have a propensity towards reliability issues.

Answer 3

It would seem that way to me.
30 years ago, if you wanted something like that, you'd have to build it yourself, so the market was pretty much the people that rode them and could wrench them.
Now a days, there's like what? A 1,000 shops that'll build you something like that, for about $100,000, of course. But hey, at least you don't have to get your hands dirty, or learn anything about building them. Sounds like it's right up the alley for doctors/lawyers/actors (pick one).
I have a boss at work, trailers his bike to Laughlin, untrailers it a couple of blocks from the event, then rides in, like he drove it the entire 300 miles. Yep, he's a poser.
By the way, everybody bad mouthing hardtails, it just takes getting used to, and watching the road for surface condition, and doing a lot more dodging and weaving to avoid to dips/bumps/ripples/pot holes, etc. I guess it makes you a better, more concentrating rider than someone on a 2 wheel Cadillac.

Answer 4

Its just for looks. Not that there is anything wrong with that. I think they look super cool. They are like a work of art, or like a hand blown glass vase that is too valuable to put water and a flower in.

Also they handle like crap and I saw a month old chopper, barely used that already had a stress fracture all the way up the rear fender. Lots of steel to steel assembly, my factory bike has a rubber bushing at almost every assembly point.

Answer 5

Some choppers are built to be ridden, but almost all of the bikes you see in magazines and on TV are NOT real riders. Their owners just have them to show off. It makes me mad that they have $100,000 to spend on a bike that they'll never ride.

Answer 6

I have handbags bigger than most of their gas tanks - how much time do you wanna spend in a petrol station?

Besides, how is something "custom" if its come off a production line and looks like every one elses?

Answer 7

REAL RIDERS HAVE BEEN RIDING CHOPPERS SINCE THE 1950'S

Answer 8

You can't really control a bike with long forks and handlebars that make you look like a gorilla sitting in an armchair. It might look "cool" but you're asking for serious hospital time.

Answer 9

What's it matter ??? Ride whatever makes you happy !!

Answer 10

yes. some ride them but a hard tail...forget it